Struggle (Japanese: わるあがきVain Struggle) is the one move that cannot be learned naturally by any Pokémon. However, every single Pokémon can use it, but only if all of their moves cannot be used, usually due to a lack of PP.

Contents

Effect

Generation I

Struggle deals damage to the opponent and the user receives recoil damage. The user takes recoil damage equal to 50% of the damage the attack did to the opponent. Struggle will automatically be used by a Pokémon that has no usable moves but is ordered to attack, and has infinite PP in such a situation.

If the user of Struggle attacks first and faints itself due to recoil damage, the opponent will not attack or be subjected to recurrent damage during that round. If Struggle breaks a Substitute, the user will take no recoil damage.

Struggle has 10 base PP, though no PP would ever be deducted from it. Self-inflicted recoil damage from Struggle from the previous turn can be countered if the opponent did not make a move on the following turn.

In Stadium, no recoil damage is taken if Struggle knocks out an opponent.

Generation IV

Same as Generations II and III; however, the user takes ¼ of its maximum HP as recoil damage.

Learnset

All Pokémon can use Struggle when they are unable to use other moves.

Trivia

Even though Struggle can only be accessed by the loss of all PP, it is somehow able to have contest stats. This is most likely to prevent the game from crashing if it is hacked in since, through normal gameplay, it would be impossible to use Struggle within normal contest rounds. The contest stats seem to be the defaults.